Table 1.
Comparison of BMI in pregnant women between groups of Asian and African origin and the majority population in European countries
| Author, year, (reference number) | Study design | Study population | Variable | Ethnic groups | n | Results | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djelantik et al. 2012 (39) | Community-based cohort study | Pregnant women living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, January 2003–March 2004 | Pre-pregnant BMI (pBMI) |
N Dutch African Turkish Moroccan Other non-Western Other Western |
7,871 4,900 495 328 585 904 659 |
pBMI 25–30 13.7% 30.9% 22.7% 33.4% 21.3% 11.1% |
pBMI>30 4.1% 18.0% 11.0% 12.7% 7.9% 3.5% |
Self-reported height and weight. pBMI>30 significantly more frequent among Turkish, Moroccan, and women of African descent |
| Jenum et al. 2012 (41) | Population-based cohort study | Healthy, pregnant women from three city district of Oslo, Norway, May 2008–2010 | Pre-pregnant BMI (pBMI) |
N Western Europe South Asia East Asia Middle East Somalia Sub-Saharan Africa/other non-Western |
823a 313 188 39 112 35 30 |
pBMI. Mean (SD) 24.6 (4.8) 23.7 (4.1) 22.3 (3.4) 25.9 (5.1) 26.8 (6.5) 26.3 (6.5) |
Self-reported pre-pregnant weight, measured height at first visit. Heterogeneity between groups. |
|
| Hestlehurst et al. 2010 (37) | Database study | Women attending 37 maternity units in UK, 1989–2007 | Early pregnant BMI |
N White Asian/Asian British Black/Black British Mixed Chinese or other ethnic groups |
619,323 447,423 50,738 22,525 5,962 11,394 |
BMI 25–29.9 24.7% 25.6% 32.3% 23.5% 20.5% |
BMI>30 13.7% 10.4% 20.6% 12.7% 7.6% |
Maternal height and weight at initial GP appointment, adjusted for gestational age. The study population was found to be nationally representative. Black/Black British had significantly higher ORs for overweight and obesity (Reference: White. Adjusted for age, parity, employment, and deprivation). |
| Ochsenbein-Kölble et al. 2007 (48) | Prospective cross-sectional study | Nulliparous women attending an obstetric prenatal outpatient clinic, Zürich, Switzerland, January 1996–February 2000 | Pre-pregnant BMI (pBMI) |
N Caucasians Asians Blacks |
4,034 3,242 578 214 |
pBMI. Mean (SD) 23.6 (4.5) 22.5 (3.9) 24.1 (4.3) |
Self-reported pre-pregnant weight. Mean pBMI sign different in Asians, but not in Blacks, compared to Caucasians. | |
| Loetscher et al. 2007 (40) | Retrospective cohort study | Nulliparous women attending a prenatal outpatient clinic, Zürich, Switzerland, 1999–2003 | Pre-pregnant BMI (pBMI) |
N Switzerland Turkey Sri Lanka Middle East South Asia Far East Africa |
1,432a 262 95 173 24 36 36 118 |
pBMI>25 22.9% 42.1% 34.1% 41.7% 19.4% 2.8% 50.0% |
pBMI>30 8.0% 16.8% 4.6% 8.3% 2.8% 0.0% 16.1% |
Self-reported pre-pregnant weight, measured height at first visit. No analyses on differences in pre-pregnant BMI across ethnic groups were presented. |
| Hestlehurst et al. 2006 (38) | Database study | Women attending a maternity unit, Middlesbrough, UK, 1990–2004 | Early pregnant BMI |
N Caucasian Mixed race Asian/Asian British Black/Black British Chinese/other Ethnic group unknown |
36,821 33,420 187 1,486 77 133 1,058 |
BMI 25–29.9 23.8% 18.2% 23.4% 28.6% 14.3% 24,1% |
BMI>30 10.8% 11.2% 9.5% 10.4% 6.8% 11.2% |
Maternal height and weight at initial GP appointment, adjusted for gestational age. Ethnicity was not significantly associated with obesity in models adjusted for age, parity, employment, deprivation, and marital status. |
a
Results from women of other European and American nationalities not reported in this table.